The Foolish and the Brave
by e1nav57
Summary: Petra was a choice Levi would never regret. / This is a story of how Levi met Petra, and how he fell in love. Multi-chapter. Chapter one: How Levi met Petra.


**Disclaimer:** Shingeki no Kyojin and all its characters belong to Hajime Isayama-sensei.

Note: This is the attempt of a humble reader to provide details (and romanticize, of course) on the history of the beloved Rivetra pairing. Please be kind! And... well, here goes.

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE:** _The Reckless_

* * *

The first time Levi really notices her, it is because of her laugh.

It wasn't anything out of the ordinary; in fact, he had heard many who laughed like her: light and carefree, childish in a way but also wrought with age and experience. There was nothing special about her laugh, but given the circumstance—that they were off to a new expedition tomorrow and that inevitably many of their comrades would again die—, it was like seeing the sun suddenly flash out in the dead of the night.

His head turned to the source of the sound, and he saw her standing with the squad that joined the Survey Corps only months ago. He knew somehow that it was her, the girl with the ginger hair, though she wasn't the only female in her crowd. She was the smallest, however, looking almost like a child in the midst of her companions. He frowned, confused and a little irritated that someone would find anything funny about today. He had seen her oftentimes in the training grounds and in the barracks, and he knew that she was not a part of the new recruits. She was aware of the dangers that they were to trek the day after. So what would make her laugh like that and why would she still keep smiling even when—?

"Levi?"

His head snapped to the person walking beside him. Hange stared at him with furrowed brows before bending her head to look past him. "What are you staring at?" she asked.

"Nothing," he muttered, walking ahead while silently berating himself for being distracted. "Let's go. Erwin is waiting."

* * *

He was at the right flank, at the very edge of the formation. They had only travelled thirty kilometres from the gates when he felt the now-familiar shaking of the ground. Before he could shout a warning, two titans appeared directly in front of them, their ugly and distorted faces burning the hate within him. Metal clinked around him as they equipped their gear. Before they could get at a close enough distance to attack, another figure emerged from the far right, jogging towards them.

"An abnormal!" a raucous voice shouted from behind him. Levi turned to see that it was Auruo, a soldier who had an irksome propensity to watch him all too often.

With a frown, Levi pulled his reigns to the right, towards the abnormal titan. It was a tall one, 15 meters. Its steps were large, but slower than some abnormal runners he had seen before. It was moments later when he heard the clopping of additional horse hooves from behind him.

He gazed quickly behind him, and saw Auruo and the ginger haired girl he had noticed the day before. Levi snarled as he turned his attention back to the titan. What did they think they were doing? It didn't matter, though. He would finish this before they got any closer.

He pulled out his blade as the distance narrowed, waiting for the right moment—but the titan sped up, sprinting faster than before.

"Shit," he muttered, veering his horse away to the side. At the current pace of the titan, he could not meet it head on, he needed to wait for it to pass and attack from his back. But before he could make a turn, the two horses behind overtook him, and before he could stop them, piston-like shots fired and the two soldiers flew towards the titan. "Reckless idiots." He swerved back to the path ready to propel his gear, but Oruo and the girl flew to each of the titan's feet, slicing off deep flesh from its ankles. Taking this as his cue, Levi aimed the hook to the titan's head, and spurred himself to the sky.

His blade pressed to the titan's nape, even as it fell prey to gravity.

The ground trembled as the huge monster dropped face down, blood pouring from the back of its neck. Levi jumped from the titan, pulling out the cloth from his pocket. Turning, he saw that the two initial titans had been brought down as well.

His horse trotted towards him, and the two soldiers as well.

"Captain," Auruo said, as they stopped in front of him. "Are you okay?"

Levi glared at him, and the soldier dropped his gaze. "We will speak later," he said as he took the reigns of his horse. "Regroup."

"Yes," Auruo replied, while the girl merely gave a small nod.

Levi climbed his horse, leaving dust in his trail. He could not help but note how different the girl looked just the day before.

* * *

"Your names?" he asked, while they saluted.

"Auruo Bozado."

"Petra Ral."

He glanced at them from the blade he was cleaning. "Ral and Bozado," he considered. "I gave no orders for anyone to follow me."

Petra looked away, while Auruo's lips tightened.

"So what gave you the idiotic idea that you should?" he continued.

"We just wanted to help you, Captain," Auruo exclaimed.

Irritation welled from his chest, and Levi narrowed his eyes at the old looking bastard.

"Captain," Petra spoke before he could. She raised her eyes. They were just the same shade as her hair. "What Auruo meant was, well, there were ten other soldiers left in the squad when we left, while you were heading towards the titan all by yourself—an abnormal one at that. It just wasn't...right, to just watch you fight it alone."

He met her gaze, and to his mild surprise, she did not flinch nor look away again. Instead, he saw that there was a fierceness there now, just as it was when they had killed the titan.

"And besides, Captain. You...never gave any orders as well that we should stay." Again, she spoke before he could. And again, there was firm resolve in her eyes.

He faced her for what seemed like moments, thinking. Their eyes leveled with each other until finally, she looked away. "I see," he replied, turning away from them. If that was the decision that they knew they would not regret, then he understood. He understood better than they would know. "But remember that the chain of command is integral to how the Survey Corps operates. It is the blood that keeps us able to work as we do," he continued, as he removed his gear. "However, your decisions will always be up to you. To follow or not to follow. To kill or not to kill. And also, to die or not to die. It is your choice." His voice was barely audible over the clunk of metal on wood as he settled his equipment on the table, but he knew that they heard him. When he looked back at them, their brows were furrowed, not knowing what to make of his contradicting lecture.

He exhaled, before waving his hand carelessly to the door. "You may leave."

They would understand, someday.

* * *

A month later, when Erwin asks him for a list of soldiers to be placed in the Special Operations Squad, Levi does not hesitate to write two names down.

 **END OF CHAPTER**

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A/N: I know I'm late to the party, but Rivetra is so adorable I could not help but fangirl and write, I think this is the only way for me to vent out the horrible ending that was placed upon their pairing /3 So anyway, this story will comprise of less than ten chapters. Please tell me what you think through your review!

Kudos,  
Vee


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